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ABC’s all-new series The Celebrity Dating Game is almost here, and it’s looking like it’ll bring the same amount of fun and star power to our television screens just like the original — but with a little bit of a twist.

Michael Bolton and Zooey Deschanel
Michael Bolton and Zooey Deschale hosting The Celebrity Dating Game on ABC | Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images

The premise of the show is still the same

On June 14, the new version of The Celebrity Dating Game will premiere on ABC.

Like the original version, each episode will feature a celebrity contestant asking mystery suitors a series of saucy questions before picking the person they want to go on a date with.

The show will be hosted by actor Zooey Deschanel and Grammy-winning singer Michael Bolton. As for the contestants, celebrities such as Taye Diggs, Joey Lawrence, Carmen Electra, Tyson Beckford, Chris Kattan, and Gabriel Iglesias are among the stars looking for love in the game.

The show kicks off with former “Bachelorette” Hannah Brown and “Nailed It!” host Nicole Byer as the first hopeful celebrity contestants. The following week, rapper Iggy Azalea quizzes a trio of mystery bachelors to see if one is fancy enough for her while RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Carson Kressley looks to find someone who can provide a jolt to his “nonexistent” love life. 

“We’re coming on right after The Bachelorette so, I think a lot of that audience will enjoy our show in particular,” Charles Wachter, executive producer of The Celebrity Dating Game, tells TV Insider. “We thought giving the audience someone they’re familiar with would be a fun way to kick off the season.”

‘The Celebrity Dating Game’ 2021 will feature LGBTQ contestants

For those of you who don’t know, The Celebrity Dating Game first aired in 1965 with American disc jockey Jim Lange as the host.

The show ran for 34 years, with several syndicated versions taking over primetime television.

While on the air, the game show saw plenty of well-known celebrities choose dates for themselves after questioning three players they could not see.

From Farrah Fawcett and John Ritter to Steve Martin and Michael Jackson, plenty of the biggest stars in Hollywood appeared as the bachelor or bachelorette on the hit dating show.

Though the 2021 version will follow the same format as the original — the upbeat music cues, graphics, and, of course, the hilarious interviews — it will incorporate one major component reminiscent of the current times.

With the new version’s premiere airing during Pride Month, the game show will deliver some episodes that feature LGBTQ celebrities, including Carson Kressley, Margaret Cho (Drop Dead Diva), and Demi Burnett (The Bachelor), which will be a first for the hit dating game show.

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According to Watcher, featuring LGBTQ celebrities on the show just felt natural as they are just like the other stars interested in finding a potential date.

“The funny thing about that is that it wasn’t a big deal,” Wachter says. “We weren’t hyper-aware of it. It didn’t feel risky. It just felt this is someone else who’s looking for love. Margaret and Demi will have mixed panels, but we don’t really point that out. We just do it.

“It was refreshing in that it wasn’t a statement piece or about having a sense of social justice,” he adds. “Carson is fantastic. We wanted to put him on the show because we knew it would be a great episode. We put all our talent through that filter asking, ‘Would this person be engaging, relatable, funny, and charismatic?'”

The Celebrity Dating Game premieres on Monday, June 14 at 10/9 ET on ABC.

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